


In The Eye of The Beholder

by Lauriana25



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: @madblanco_, Angst with a Happy Ending, Aphrodite (mentioned) - Freeform, Athena (mentioned) - Freeform, Curses, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Greek Gods and Goddesses - Freeform, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Implied Sexual Content, Instagram posting, Kissing, M/M, One-Shot, Poseidon (mentioned) - Freeform, based on fanart, longhaired Victor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-13 18:28:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18474607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lauriana25/pseuds/Lauriana25
Summary: A beautiful man is cursed by the Gods, doomed to a solitary life, hideous, lonely and bitter.Until the day a handsome stranger stumbles into his life. Literally.





	In The Eye of The Beholder

**Author's Note:**

> This cute piece of fluff was inspired by the gorgeous artwork of [@madblanco_](https://www.instagram.com/p/BvZYmMYhAI9/) on Instagram!! Follow them and check out the rest of their amazing YOI fanart! You won't be disappointed <3

            No one had ventured deep into the forest for years. Not since the statues started to appear. Men, women, children, young and old, all shapes, sizes and creeds, all carved in dark grey stone. All with the same look of utter horror on their faces, mouths forever frozen mid-scream, eyes eternally wide and unblinking.

            Some said they were carvings of a disgruntled artist, left scattered around the forest to frighten passers-by. Some said they were made by the Gods themselves as a warning to all not to stray too deep into the dark thicket. But there was another story. That the grey, crumbling stones were not statues.

            They were once real people. Turned to stone. Frightened to death by some unknown monster, their screams trapped within their granite prisons, whatever it was that transformed them being the last thing their eyes saw before they passed to the Underworld.

            Victor used to feel angry when he overheard travellers whisper the stories over their campfires, their voices hushed and strained with fear. Of the hideous monster that enjoyed the look of horror on his victims’ faces as he turned them to stone, of the creature that feasted on the smell of fear and the bloodcurdling screams, of the demon that laughed as blue or brown eyes turned grey.

            “It’s not true!” he used to cry out, desperate to get his point across. Of course, it was futile; as soon as they turned in the direction of his voice, his protests died on his lips as their wide eyes dulled over, whatever cries or pleas they tried to choke out cutting off as their bones and flesh turned to stone.

            And just as quickly as he had spoken, Victor was alone. Again.

            He used to feel frightened when he was first cursed by the Goddess Athena. The first time someone had turned to stone in front of him, he had screamed and wept, pleading with the Gods to spare the innocent life of the statue. Of course, no answer came and he had had no choice but to flee his home and hide in the forest, afraid that he would hurt someone he actually cared about.

            The fear turned to anger when he began to be hunted by those he once considered friends. He had hoped that at least one of his many so-called “admirers” would try to help him, even pity him. But instead of whispering sweet nothings to him, like they used to, they called him a monster.

            And the worst part was that it was true.

            He hated his reflection, his once glorious waist-length silver hair transformed into a nest of hissing, silver snakes, twisting and coiling around his head, his sapphire-blue eyes constantly tinged pink from years of weeping and lack of sleep. He was always too afraid to sleep properly. He hated that too. He hated how he had to scavenge for food like a lowly beast, sneaking around markets at the crack of dawn so that no one would spot him, foraging what he could amongst the berry bushes and fruit trees in the forest when he was chased from town by pitchfork-wielding townspeople. He hated how he was always cold, always on edge.

            Most of all, he hated that he was always alone.

            “It’s not my fault!” he always whined to the snakes, the only companions he had left. “I wasn’t born like this! I didn’t want this, none of it!”

            The snakes always hissed softly, as if in sympathy. Some even flicked their forked tongues over his cheeks, kissing the stinging tears away. It was a bittersweet touch compared to the soft, warm kisses he used to get from suitors, but it was the only comfort he had left. And as much as he detested the way they wriggled around his neck, making him recoil and shudder, he started to cling to them like a life preserver, as if they were the only things that he could care for. That they were the only things that now cared for him.

            Over time, he stopped feeling angry. He even stopped feeling afraid. He just…stopped feeling anything. He became as cold and unfeeling as his poor victims, accepting his fate and slinking away into the darkest, most treacherous part of the forest, even positioning some of the statues along the pathways to deter anyone from coming too close to his “home”.

            ‘ _Maybe if I stop turning people into stone, the Gods will see that I’ve learned my lesson. At least I won’t hurt anyone anymore if I stay by myself. It’s better this way._ ’

            That’s what he told himself. It didn’t stop the ache in his chest, but it kept him from driving himself insane with grief.

            Seasons passed. Victor began to grow accustomed to life in the forest. He learned the best way to stay warm in the winter without drawing attention with an open fire. He watched the animals and discovered how to hunt and forage properly. He even grew accustomed to the heavy silence. He knew the sound of every bird call, of every soft-footed deer and rabbit. He was by no means comfortable or happy, but Victor began to feel like he could survive alone.

            Until one late spring afternoon when he heard something that made his heart freeze and his breath hitch in his chest.

            The unmistakeable sound of footsteps. Human footsteps.

            Peeking out of the thatched lean-to that had been his home for the winter, the thick moss providing shelter from the cold and rain, he narrowed his eyes and searched for the source of the sound.

            “Someone’s here.” He whispered to his snakes, the silvery creatures hissing low in agitation. Even they were surprised to hear footsteps after so long in isolation. “And they walked past all our statues. Either they’re very brave or very stupid.”

            The snakes hissed louder, some yawning idly to reveal tiny razor-like fangs. They were bored and ready to play with their guest. Victor sighed heavily and sent out a silent prayer to the Gods.

            ‘ _Let their death be quick and painless._ ’

            He tiptoed towards the clearing in front of his lean-to, the golden afternoon light filtering through the trees in soft lines, tiny dust particles glittering in the light like tiny fairies. Victor bitterly remembered how he used to dance amongst the trees trying to catch the glittering gold, his silver hair sparkling as he twirled.

            _Cr-ra-ac-ck!_

He froze midmotion, holding his breath, a hand sliding over his snakes to silence their angry hissing. Glancing down, he silently cursed himself for not noticing the branch that now lay snapped under his sandal.

            “Is someone there?”

            His heart jumped at the sound. Had it really been so long since he last heard another person’s voice that this one set every nerve in his body ablaze? It was a man’s voice, rich in tone and soft in volume. He sounded unsure, almost frightened, but not quite. It was almost as if the man didn’t really expect an answer.

            Victor spotted the shape of the man just beyond the thicket, still hidden under the shadow of a large elm tree. He had a straight back and lithe arms and legs, so Victor guessed that he was a young man, having passed the awkward years of childhood and having grown sure of his stature. He was also shorter than Victor, maybe by a few inches.

            And he was walking very slowly towards him.

            “Stop!” he cried out, raising a hand out towards the silhouette. “Don’t come any closer!”

            The man stopped, but still faced Victor. That in itself confused him; this was usually the point when people either turned and ran or began to scream as their bodies began to stiffen and turn to stone.

            The silhouette cocked his head to one side. “Oh. Someone actually is out here. Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

            Victor snorted derisively. It had certainly been a long time since he was last frightened of anyone!

            “Forgive me,” the man continued, his hands reaching forward towards the beam of sunlight that lit up the thicket, “but I think I’m lost and I was wondering if - ”

            “I said don’t come any closer!” Victor’s voice came out squeaky and cracked, his eyes widening at the sight of the creamy flesh of those hands as they came out of the shadows towards him, fingers outstretched, searching. He put a hand to his throat as he thickly swallowed; yes, it had been a while since he had spoken out loud to anyone, but he hadn’t expected himself to sound so…

            Scared.

            But it wasn’t that he was scared of the man. In fact, judging from the lean outline of the shadow, he thought he could easily knock him to the ground if he tried to attack him. What he was scared of was that it looked like the man was staring right at him.

            And he hadn’t turned to stone yet!

            Victor kept his eyes fixed on the hands, still outstretched in the light but now wavering and unsure, long fingers beginning to curl towards his palms, ready to defend himself. Victor smiled coldly; the man’s fists wouldn’t be able to save him.

            “Who sent you here?” Victor asked, trying to make his voice sound a lot braver than he actually felt. His snakes began to slither around his head, tiny black eyes narrowing with suspicion at the man.

            The man straightened his back, the motion making Victor smile a little more. He was trying to make himself look bigger.

            ‘ _He’s brave, I’ll give him that._ ’

            “No one sent me.” The man said flatly. “How could someone send me here when I don’t even know where “here” is?”

            Victor laughed coldly, his snakes hissing in agreement. “Surely you’ve at least heard of this place. Or did my statues not give the location away?”

            “What statues?”

Victor found himself growing annoyed at that question. “You’re brave for making it this far, but there’s no need to act stupid. You must have walked past them! You can’t exactly miss them!”

            He lunged forward, reaching into the shadows to grab the man’s wrist, his heart pounding against his ribs. The man jerked his arm back reflexively but Victor wrapped his fingers around the slender joint even tighter, determined not to let the stranger get away.

            “Let me go!” the man’s voice grew louder and shriller, the sound more familiar to Victor’s ears. He was scared. Good. So he should be. “Please!”

            Victor stilled, his snakes growing silent with confusion. In all his years in solitude, all his time spent with his curse, no one had ever pleaded for their life before.

            ‘ _No one’s ever lived this long in my presence before._ ’

            The realisation made him release the man’s wrist with a soft gasp, his hand flying to his own mouth in shock. His fingertips felt warm from where they had clung to the stranger’s pulse, the gentle thrumming vibrating next to his skin in a way that he thought he had long forgotten. That sweet comfort that came from the warmth of another person, from the feel of soft skin against his, of friendly embraces and lovers’ kisses.

            “W-who are you?” he found himself asking the man in the shadows, his eyes wide with disbelief that, somehow, this person could possibly still be alive. “How is it possible that…”

            He heard a soft, almost inaudible sound coming from the man. He realised with a jolt that it was a sigh. His heart wrenched at the sad, lonely sound that had followed him throughout the years coming from another man.

            “It doesn’t matter who I am.” The man said gloomily, another melancholy sigh filling the afternoon air, making Victor ache with another alien emotion that he thought he had left behind; sympathy? Empathy, perhaps. It had been so long, he found he didn’t know how to act. “Not anymore.”

            Victor stepped back into the warmth of the sunshine, his sandals making the faintest sound over the thick grass. “Come into the light. Show me your face.”

            ‘ _Before I send you to Hades, for my sins._ ’

            A cold, mocking laugh came into the thicket just before Victor saw a bare foot appear in the golden light. It was caked in mud, scratched and bruised. Victor’s eyes grew wider as the foot joined to a leg, lean and muscular but also scratched and marred with purple and yellowing blotches. Another foot joined its companion and Victor felt the snakes circling his head stiffen with surprise that, even now, they still retained their creamy, warm complexion.

            The man’s tunic was a simple pale blue with a plain gold pin on each shoulder, creating a hood around his slender shoulders. It stopped mid-thigh and was frayed and splashed with mud, water and what appeared to be old food stains. This made Victor frown and cock his head to one side with bewilderment. He could clearly see from the tone of the man’s arms and the outline of his torso under his tunic (not that he was staring, regardless of what the snakes hissed with an air of amusement!) that he knew how to look after himself, so why not do the same with his clothes?

            “Am I in the light yet?” the man’s mocking voice snapped Victor from his ogling (he swatted at a cackling snake next to his left ear in defiance) and up to his face. His heart plummeted, knowing what was going to happen next.

            Only…it never happened.

            Instead of finding himself staring at another stony, horrified sculpture, Victor found himself face-to-face with the most beautiful man he had ever seen!

            Thick ebony hair, matted and sticking up in all directions, soaked in the golden afternoon rays, making it look thick and warm, making Victor’s fingers itch to rake through it. A strong, angular jawline, the colour of cream. A pair of full, pink lips that were chapped from being exposed to the elements for too long, drawn into a tight, sceptical line.

            But what made Victor gasp out loud was the colour of the man’s eyes. Almond shaped and framed with thick black lashes, he had expected them to be a deep shade of brown, or even hazel with flecks of gold or green like leaves in the autumn. But they were grey, almost silver like Victor’s scaly companions, and seemed to be glossed over, like there was something invisible keeping the light from reaching his tiny pupils.

            And they were looking directly at him. And the man was still very much living and breathing!

            ‘ _I’ve finally gone insane!_ ’ he thought desperately, his throat suddenly feeling dry and tight as the man continued to look at him, a slight frown furrowing his thick brows together. ‘ _The Gods have decided that being alone wasn’t enough; they’ve sent this man to drive me over the edge!_ ’

            He reached out, his hand trembling. As his fingertips brushed along the man’s cheek he flinched back, like he hadn’t been expecting the touch even though he had clearly seen him move closer.

            Hadn’t he?

            “Um, what are you doing?” the man asked tentatively, frowning at him, his silvery eyes blinking up at him as Victor cupped his cheeks in his hands, drinking in every inch of the man’s soft, warm (Gods above, how he had forgotten how warm a person could be!) face as if he had never seen another human before, frightened that the man was going to somehow vanish as soon as he touched him.

            Victor heard his snakes hiss with shock and confusion, feeling several pairs of beady eyes lock on to the man’s wide eyes. Still the man didn’t turn to stone. The sight made Victor both overjoyed and utterly surprised.

            Then it hit him. And it made his heart leap.

            “Wait! You…you’re blind?!”

            The man frowned at him, taking his wrists in his hands to gently pull his hands away from his face. Victor dug his fingers into the man’s cheeks a little harder – not enough to hurt him, just enough so that he stopped trying to pull his hands away – not wanting to lose the sensation of warmth against his palms.

            “Yeah.” He said matter-of-factly, like he was discussing the weather and not the most wonderful thing to have happened to Victor in years. “I’d have thought that was obvious, or is it just me who can see it?” the man laughed drily at his own joke, though his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

            Victor licked his lips, his mouth dry and his tongue suddenly heavy, hardly daring to believe his eyes. How had the Gods not foreseen this? Surely They would have made sure that he would be alone and miserable forever, and not send this…this…ray of hope into his life? And yet, here he was, standing before him, looking at him and yet not seeing him.

            “You…you don’t see me?” his tongue fumbled with the words, his heart tripping over itself as his mind tried to fathom that this wasn’t some illusion conjured up by his isolation. “You can’t see the cursed being turning you into stone?”

            The man’s glossed eyes grew wide with surprise and he stepped backwards, Victor’s hands finally releasing his face. “You’re turning me into stone?”

            “No!” Victor exclaimed. “I mean, I’m supposed to…I mean, that’s what usually happens when – but you’re not turning into…but I don’t understand how – I-I mean, I’m glad that you’re not, but it’s never happened before - ”

            “Wait a minute.” The man thankfully stopped Victor’s rambling, his voice growing soft and (Victor dared to dream) gentle. “You got cursed too?”

            Victor nodded, and then mentally slapped himself for the silent gesture. “Yes.”

            The man’s face suddenly lit up with a bright smile. Victor’s heart stopped at the beautiful sight.

            “What a coincidence, bumping into you out here! Well, wherever “here” is! I thought I was the only one who managed to anger a God!”

            Victor laughed; the happy sound so strange to him after all this time. “It doesn’t take much to anger a God, believe me.” He breathed a deep sigh, years-old tension lifting from his shoulders. He had forgotten how good it felt to have a conversation with someone.

            The man smiled and held out his hand, misjudging the distance between them and bumping his fingers against Victor’s chest, making them both squeak an apology to the other man, only for them both to chuckle nervously. “My name is Yuuri.”

            Victor’s cheeks hurt from the wide grin that stretched his mouth as he took Yuuri’s hand in his in a hearty shake. “I’m Victor.”

            “Good to meet you, Victor.”

            “The pleasure’s all mine, Yuuri.”

***

            That Spring was the best of Victor’s life. His days, that used to be long and miserable, now flew by, filled with easy conversation and laughter with Yuuri. He liked how when he whispered “good morning” there was now someone to return the greeting. He enjoyed listening to Yuuri as he told him about his hometown, his old life as a dancer, even when he complained that Victor was a terrible cook!

            “I’m blind, and even I can tell that you’ve burnt this to a crisp!”

            Victor couldn’t care less. He wanted nothing more than to hear Yuuri’s soft voice all day long.

            Yuuri found that, after spending so long stumbling and falling in the dark, it was nice to have someone to catch him when he tripped, or hold his hand when the path was too treacherous for him to walk across alone.

            In fact, he discovered one day with a shy smile and a rosy blush, it was nice to just hold Victor’s hand any time.

            He even got used to the snakes, after some gentle coaxing.

            “It’s not that they don’t like you,” Victor had reassured him when he had first tried to touch one of them, only to recoil at the loud, angry hissing, “it’s just that they’re not used to anyone…well, still breathing!”

            But, day by day, they began to allow him to brush his fingertips over their shiny scales, even flicking their tiny tongues out to tickle him playfully when he complimented them on how smooth they felt. Victor found himself blushing at the compliment.

            It was probably the first time he had felt happy for his snakes.

            So the two men sank into a comfortable existence in the forest. Victor scouted the best places to shelter, made sure their lean-to was sturdy and snug, and essentially became Yuuri’s eyes, constantly searching for anything that might make his friend trip or snag his tunic. Yuuri in turn became Victor’s ears, listening for anything other than the gentle hissing of his snakes that might prove a threat to them both. He also did his best to keep his companion safe, even if all he could do was feel around for the right materials to make their shelters, his sensitive hands finding the stronger vines and less itchy moss faster than Victor’s.

            But both men felt something hang between them, like a veil. Neither one of them dared to talk too much about their past, or broach subjects that involved feelings too often. Conversations like that tended to fade to monosyllabic responses and heavy, awkward silences. It made both of them feel lonely, despite their constant proximity. Victor tried to compensate by being more tactile, constantly showering Yuuri with hugs and melodramatic praise for silly things (“Yuuri, you’re so clever for not tripping on that stone just now!”). Yuuri tried to make Victor smile, even though he couldn’t see it (“I’m sure that the sun is making your eyes sparkle today.”). But it never felt like enough.

            One evening, after another charred dinner of squirrel meat and mushrooms, Victor and Yuuri were sitting in front of the fire, their bellies full and their bodies relaxed from a long day’s walking. Victor sighed softly, watching the flames dance, wishing that Yuuri could see the reds and oranges that lit up the clearing. Yuuri closed his eyes (a habit from before he was cursed that made him feel more human) and leaned against Victor’s shoulder, listening to the wood crackle and pop with the heat, wondering if Victor heard it as loudly as he did.

            “Vitya?” Yuuri whispered, the nickname he had given his friend breaking the comfortable silence.

            “Hmm?” Victor glanced down at his friend, leaning back on his hands and pointing his toes towards the fire. Even though Summer was approaching, the nights still made him chilly. An excuse to keep Yuuri close to him when they slept.

            “How did you get cursed?”

            Victor stiffened, his snakes hissing worriedly. “Yuuri…”

            Yuuri curled his fingers over Victor’s gently. “Please? I want to know.”

            Victor sighed and ran a hand over his face, bringing his knees up to his chin. “I was tricked by Poseidon.”

            “The God of the Sea?”

            Victor hummed, bitterly remembering that day like it was just yesterday. “I had gone to the temple of Athena to ask her a question. I can’t even remember what it was now. Poseidon made me do something stupid and…well, Athena wasn’t too happy about it.”

            Yuuri sat up straighter, still holding Victor’s hand. “What did He make you do?”

            Victor huffed and shook his head. “He kissed me. Right at the altar. Athena thought I had gone there with Poseidon to mock Her and blamed me.”

            Yuuri gasped. “But that wasn’t your fault! Like you said, you were tricked by Poseidon! Surely the Goddess of Wisdom could see that He was just trying to make her jealous?”

            Victor laughed coldly. “You think I didn’t try to explain it to Her? She didn’t want to listen – as far as She was concerned, I was “a spiteful, ugly creature that didn’t deserve any love”. The next thing I knew, my hair was gone and all I could hear was hissing next to my ear.” He gently patted the silvery reptile that tenderly licked his cheek at his words; it wasn’t as if the snakes had chosen this fate either, being attached to a whiny, lonely human being. “Athena laughed at me when I begged her to change my hair back, saying that everyone was going to see me for what I really was, and rue the day they laid eyes on me.”

            Yuuri gripped Victor’s hand tighter, his heart wrenching at the melancholy in his friend’s voice. He could even hear how sad the snakes sounded, their hissing softer and lower than normal. “You are not an ugly creature, Vitya.”

            Victor smiled sadly at his friend’s opaque eyes. “If you say so, Yuuri.”

            Yuuri reached his free hand up to Victor’s cheek, the pad of his thumb brushing along the warm skin in a gentle circle. He had memorised the structure of his face a long time ago, but he still fought not to sigh every time he sketched the outline of his slender jaw, heart-shaped mouth and soft cheeks behind his eyes, like each time was the first time he “saw” him. “You’re not, Vitya. Believe me. And I’ll never regret the day we met.”

            Victor turned his head and planted a quick kiss to Yuuri’s palm, something that made both of them freeze with shock. But Yuuri didn’t pull his hand away, and Victor didn’t move his lips away from the calloused flesh of Yuuri’s palm.

            Yuuri slowly slid his hand down to Victor’s jaw, just below his ear, and curled his fingers around the back of his neck, his heart racing impossibly fast. Victor didn’t – couldn’t! – move, his eyes wide and unblinking as Yuuri shifted onto his knees next to him, the heat from his chest suddenly hitting Victor like a flame.

            “Vitya…”

            Before Victor could draw a breath, Yuuri pressed his lips to his in a hesitant, chaste kiss. His brain shut off and he gripped Yuuri’s forearms with a hunger he’d never felt before. He kissed Yuuri back with a low, long moan, his mouth slotting perfectly next to Yuuri’s like it had been made to do so. Every nerve in his body ignited with fire and light as Yuuri deepened the kiss, his hands sliding between the coiling, slithering snakes like they were his old hair, his fingers gentle and warm as they lightly scratched along his scalp, making him shiver excitedly. It had been so long since he last felt this…this…

            He had never felt this loved in his whole life!

            Victor’s eyes filled with tears as his tongue greedily explored Yuuri’s mouth, tasting him in a way he had never dared to hope for. The Goddess Athena had deemed him unlovable, cursed him to kill any hope of love or even friendship with a single glance. He prayed that he wasn’t dreaming, that all of this was real, that Yuuri really was pulling him closer to him, down towards the mossy ground –

            “I love you, Vitya.”

            Yuuri pulled Victor’s face closer to his, kissing away the tears that spilled from his long lashes, brushing the backs of his fingers over his wet cheeks.

            Victor laughed breathlessly, his eyes fluttering closed as Yuuri gently kissed them, feeling himself sink deeper into his arms. His heart, that had grown as cold and unfeeling as his poor victims’, suddenly felt ablaze and light at the three words that he thought he’d never live to hear. And he wanted to hear them again and again.

            “Oh Yuuri. Yuuri, I love you too!”

***

            The following morning, Victor woke up with the biggest grin on his face and his heart pounding in his ears, blinking up at the bright, cloudless sky that peeked between the leafy canopy of the forest.

            Yuuri stirred next to him, wrapping his arm tighter around his middle as he slept, pulling him closer. Victor sighed deeply and gently kissed his forehead, marvelling at how long and thick Yuuri’s lashes looked as they fluttered next to his cheeks, that were rosy and flushed in the morning light. Victor couldn’t resist squeezing Yuuri back, hugging him tight and kissing his forehead again, reaching up to smooth the mussed up raven hair from his eyes.

            Yuuri mumbled in his sleep, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he settled next to Victor’s chest. Victor was sure his frantic heartbeat, which only seemed to thrum faster as he felt Yuuri’s body perfectly line up with his own, would wake Yuuri up, but his eyes stayed closed.

            “Yuuri,” Victor whispered sweetly, his eyes flickering between his closed lids and his full (slightly kiss-bruised) lips, “are you awake?”

            Yuuri sighed softly, but didn’t reply.

            It took several minutes of whispered sweet nothings and several kisses before Yuuri began to wake up. In fact, it was only when the snakes joined in, long forked tongues flicking at his cheeks with unusual affection, that Yuuri finally opened his eyes with a sleepy chuckle.

            “Okay, okay! I’m awake!” he laughed, his wide smile making the corners of his eyes wrinkle. The silvery, milky shine of his eyes made Victor’s heart ache a little, but that morning it still wasn’t enough to stop him from smiling at him.

            “Good morning, sleepyhead.” He teased, stealing a kiss from Yuuri as he yawned, which turned into a startled yelp, followed by a low, pleased moan as the kiss lingered a little longer than Victor had intended.

            “Good morning to you too.” Yuuri smiled warmly, brushing his fingertips over Victor’s lips, tracing the beautiful smile that stretched them into the heart shape he loved so much. “Last night was…”

            Victor hummed happily. “The best night of my life.”

            Yuuri’s shoulders slumped, like he was relieved to find he wasn’t the only one who thought that way, and he beamed up at Victor before tugging him gently to lie back down next to him.

            Victor chewed his lip for a moment as Yuuri settled next to his shoulder, his arm hugging him tight around the middle again. “You know, you never told me how you lost your sight.”

            Yuuri chuckled, hiding his face next to Victor’s shoulder for a moment. “Oh yeah. Guess I got a little distracted.”

            Victor giggled at the light teasing, blushing and (for once) feeling relieved that Yuuri couldn’t see how much his teasing had affected him. “You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to - ”

            “No, it’s only fair.” Yuuri stretched languidly, a sight that Victor took immense pleasure in watching, grinning wolfishly at the way his muscles tensed and bunched as he raised his arms above his head, at the way his toes curled as he flexed his legs in an almost perfect arch, and especially at the satisfied moan that escaped Yuuri’s lips as he stretched. “You know, I can tell when you’re watching me, Vitya.”

            Victor blushed again. “How?!”

            Yuuri grinned mischievously. “So you’re not going to deny it?”

            Victor opened and closed his mouth several times, flustered by how easily Yuuri had tricked him into confessing. “So what if I was?” he finally pouted. “I can’t help it if you’re the most beautiful person in the whole world!”

            Yuuri’s smile lessened and he lowered his eyes to the blanket that they slept on. “The last time someone called me that, I woke up the next day without my sight.”

            Victor gasped, reaching to grasp Yuuri’s hand. Yuuri squeezed his hand gratefully and brought it to his lips, kissing each of his knuckles.

            “What happened?” Victor asked softly, afraid to speak too loud in case Yuuri closed off from him. He had done that in the past, whenever he got uncomfortable or agitated, and it always frightened Victor as to how much like a statue Yuuri could be when he refused to speak. He hated the silence.

            “You remember how I told you I was a dancer?” Yuuri sighed, lying on his back to look up at the sky, the morning light making his skin look smooth and rich like buttercream. “Well, after one particular performance, a woman approached me. I remember that she was tall with long brunette hair and dark skin. She told me I was the most beautiful person she had ever seen too.”

            Victor felt a ridiculous pang of jealousy in his chest, quietly shaking his head at himself; of course someone else had said that to Yuuri. The whole world would have to be blind to not see how beautiful he was! “What did you do when she said that?”

            Yuuri coyly scratched the nape of his neck. “I blushed and said, thank you. I didn’t know what else to say!” he added when Victor giggled at him. “Anyway, she then asked me if I thought she was beautiful too, which threw me a little, but only because I had only just met her.”

            “Maybe she believed in love at first sight.” Victor offered with a slight nudge against Yuuri’s arm.

            “Well, when I didn’t answer straight away, she got mad. I mean, absolutely furious! She started smashing the furniture in the room against the wall, screeching at me, saying I was rude to not call her beautiful too, that I should have been grateful to even look at her.”

            Victor began to get a familiar sense of foreboding as Yuuri’s face paled and he swallowed thickly. “This wasn’t a normal woman, was it?”

            Yuuri shook his head, his sightless eyes filling with tears. “She was Aphrodite. I was standing in my parents’ inn, trying to calm down a slighted Goddess, trying to get her to stop screaming, when she suddenly grew; can you imagine what it’s like to see someone grow to the size of a tree in front of your very eyes?”

            Victor barked a cold laugh. “Been there, done that!”

            Yuuri squeezed his hand. “Sorry.”

            Victor kissed his cheek. “No need to be, my love.”

            Yuuri smiled a little at the endearment before continuing. “She told me that I’d never see anyone as beautiful as Her again. That my world would become as black and loveless as my heart. Then she just…vanished! With a flash of white light and a loud bang, almost like thunder, she was gone.

            The next morning, I opened my eyes and couldn’t see my mother’s face, even though she was stood right next to the bed as she woke me up.”

            Victor wrapped his arms around Yuuri’s shoulders and pulled him to him, not saying a word as tears flowed from Yuuri’s eyes onto his chest. He seethed at how anyone, especially a Goddess, could do something so cruel and spiteful to someone as gentle, kind and loving as Yuuri. Athena had punished him for something Poseidon had done, but Aphrodite had just acted like a petty little girl, punishing Yuuri for simply not giving her an empty compliment!

            ‘ _How can such spiteful, jealous, cruel beings be in charge of our fates?_ ’

            “I-I was terrifed!” Yuuri sobbed, his chest heaving and his whole body trembling in Victor’s arms. “Everything…everything was black. I could hear my mother crying but-but I couldn’t see where she was. I heard my father frantically praying to the Gods to lift my curse and…I just ran out the door. I…I didn’t want to be a burden to them. I didn’t want them to see what Aphrodite saw in me. I…I…” his voice dissolved into wet, heartbroken sobs as he remembered fumbling around in the dark, trying to remember the way out of town only to stumble and fall, the stony paths cutting his knees and bruising the soles of his feet. He had never been so frightened or helpless in his whole life.

            “Your heart is not loveless, Yuuri.” Victor broke the silence after a few moments, cupping Yuuri’s chin and bringing his face level with his own, searching his tear-stained face. “You give me more love than I could ever ask for! And I’m not just talking about last night – I mean every day since we met.”

            Yuuri smiled weakly, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. “I feel the same way, Vitya. In a way, I’m kind of glad Aphrodite took away my sight. I might never have met you if she hadn’t.”

            Victor pressed his forehead to Yuuri’s, hugging him tight and smiling fondly. “I know what you mean; if Athena hadn’t cursed me, I wouldn’t have been living here in the forest and we might never have met. I guess some good finally came out of it all. I’m just so glad that it was with you.”

            Yuuri tipped his head up, catching Victor’s lips in a sweet, soft kiss, one that Victor gladly returned. All the bitterness that he had clung to over the years melted away with each gentle kiss, all the anger he had felt for the Gods turned to silent thanks as he held Yuuri in his arms, all the loneliness that had lengthened his days evaporated in the morning sunshine as he felt Yuuri wrap his arms around his neck, pulling him down for a deeper, breathless kiss.

            ‘ _If I get to spend the rest of my life with Yuuri, it was all worth it!_ ’

            Yuuri sighed blissfully as Victor kissed him back, filling him with more happiness than he’d ever felt at home. As much as he missed his family, he couldn’t imagine ever being without Victor by his side. He felt more at ease, more at home, in Victor’s embrace than he ever had as a dancer, only ever to momentarily escape into his dreams for the length of a song. Victor was all his dreams come true, from his musical laugh to his featherlight touches along his skin that made him shiver and yearn for more.

            ‘ _I may be blind, but even I can see that this is true love. This is what real beauty is – I’m holding it, I’m kissing it! And he’s kissing me back! I never want this to ever stop._ ’

            Suddenly, the clearing filled with the brightest light Victor had ever seen, the air whipping around them both wildly and furiously, making them both cling to each other and cover their faces.

            “What’s going on?” Yuuri yelled over the roaring wind, feeling his hair flap around his face and neck.

            “I don’t know!” Victor called back, covering his eyes as the light got brighter, his snakes hissing frantically as they recoiled from the light, clearly frightened and in pain as they tried to cover their tiny heads with their slithering bodies. “Just stay close to me!”

            “I won’t let go of you, no matter what!”

            “Neither will I!”

            As quickly as it began, the wind died down and the light dimmed. Victor slowly, carefully, opened his eyes and peeked from behind the crook of his arm and gasped out loud.

            “What is it?” Yuuri asked quietly, his eyes still screwed shut.

            Victor gulped audibly. “We’re…we’re not in the forest anymore.”

            His jaw hung low as he gawped at their new surroundings. Instead of the thick trees and protective shadows of the thicket, they were surrounded by white, polished marble that reflected the dazzling sunlight. Instead of their clearing, with their lean-to and campfire, they were lying in the centre of a vast courtyard, golden statues of cherubs and angels circling the marbled floor, appearing to be supported on pillars of something white and fluffy.

            Clouds!

            He gently helped Yuuri to his feet and gasped again. Their tattered tunics had transformed into shimmering robes made of silk; Yuuri’s was the colour of the ocean and its beautiful surface shifted from blue to green and back again with every swish of the soft material, his own was ruby-red and glittered like it was made from jewels.

            Just as he was about to, rather dumbly, ask Yuuri how on earth this had happened, he was startled by someone clearing their throat from across the marbled courtyard. They both slowly turned in the direction of the sound, still gripping each other’s hands with a slight tremor.

            Lazily lounging on an enormous marble throne was an old man. At least, he looked old, with his flowing white hair and perfectly trimmed beard, but Victor saw something young and bold flash behind his cerulean eyes. The man tapped a long finger to his lips, staring at the two men who stood before him, silently taking their measure before letting out a loud, almost bored, sigh.

            “Welcome to Olympus, my children.” The man finally spoke, his voice rumbling like distant thunder and every bit as discomforting. “I assume I need no introductions?”

            Victor pulled Yuuri closer to his chest, fear and dread filling his bones as the white-haired man smiled coolly at them. “Y-You’re Zeus, King of the Gods!”

            Zeus chuckled softly. “It’s nice to know I haven’t been completely forgotten by mortals. I was beginning to wonder.”

            Yuuri turned his head in the direction of the God, his opaque eyes struggling to pinpoint the exact location as His voice echoed over the marble. “Why have you brought us here?”

            Zeus sighed again. “To make amends, my child.”

            “For what?”

            “For what my brother and daughters did to you both.” The Olympian said with a slight growl. “My brother has always enjoyed teasing his niece, but Athena should have known better than to take it out on a mortal. And as for Aphrodite, I was appalled to hear about another one of her vain little tantrums.”

            “I’m sorry, “vain little tantrum”?” Victor asked indignantly, scoffing at the bemused expression on the God’s face when he interrupted him. “She blinded him! All because he didn’t say she was beautiful! That’s a little more than a tantrum, don’t you think?”

            Zeus scowled at him and clenched his fists on the armrests of his throne. “Perhaps, but she is my daughter and she is still a Goddess, so I’d mind my tone if I were you, Victor. Though I must say I’m surprised to see you’re more upset about Yuuri’s fate than your own.”

            Victor glared at the white-haired God. “I may have been used by Poseidon to trick Athena, but I was stupid enough to play along. Yuuri didn’t do anything to deserve his curse. So yes, I am more upset for him than myself.”

            Zeus hummed low, as though Victor had said something unexpected, before he turned his dazzling eyes to Yuuri with a remorseful expression. “Yuuri, I truly am sorry for what Aphrodite did to you.”

            Yuuri gave the God a sympathetic smile. “Thank you, O mighty Zeus, but I’m not. It led me to Victor; how can I be sorry about that?”

            Zeus smiled warmly back at him. “And it is that reason alone that you are both here. Forgive a bored old man, but I couldn’t help but overhear you two talking this morning, about how you both found each other, and I knew I had to make amends with you on my family’s behalf. We get too much bad publicity as it is these days, perhaps it’s about time we behaved a little more civilly.

            So, I have a gift for you both, if you want it.”

            Victor glanced nervously at Yuuri before turning back to the God. “Really?” he didn’t even try to hide the scepticism in his voice; neither of them had had the best experience with the Gods in the past for him to trust Zeus, even if he was the Ruler of Olympus.

            Zeus laughed lightly. “Yes. I am willing to lift your curses and set you both free.”

            Yuuri and Victor gasped, eyes wide with amazement, before turning to each other with a tight embrace, breathlessly laughing with joy.

            “However, there is something I need to ask you both first.”

            The two men turned back to the marbled throne with a slight groan. They prepared themselves for the catch. There was always some catch or stipulation.

            “Victor,” Zeus addressed him, making the snakes around his head hiss threateningly, “what is real love to you?”

            Victor beamed proudly, leaning into Yuuri’s arms again. “It’s right here with me. It’s waking up next to Yuuri every morning, talking with him, laughing with him. He is more than my love, he’s my whole life now!”

            Zeus nodded quietly, weighing up the mortal’s answer in his mind. “And Yuuri; what is real beauty to you?”

            Yuuri didn’t even have to think for his answer. “It’s Victor. It’s in the way he burns the cooking and tries to cover it up with herbs. It’s in the way he sings along with the birds when he’s happy and lets me tell awful jokes when he’s sad. It’s in the way he meets me halfway and lets me be true to myself and is never anything other than himself. To me, he’s the most beautiful person in the world and I’ll yell it from the top of Mount Olympus if that’s what it takes for me to show my love!”

            Victor thought his heart was going to burst out of his chest, it was so full of love as Yuuri’s voice seemed to get louder and louder, echoing over the marble until it sounded like a thousand Yuuris were declaring their love for him.

            ‘ _Just one Yuuri is all I need._ ’ He thought as he pressed a tender kiss to Yuuri’s right temple, making the smaller man smile and blush an adorable shade of pink.

            “My, my,” Zeus chuckled with a fond shake of his head, “such heartfelt answers! Certainly more honest than anything I’ve ever heard in any of my temples, that’s for sure. I think my family could learn a thing or two about love from you both.”

            Victor worried the corner of his lip between his teeth. “Does…does that mean…?”

            Zeus smiled warmly at him. “Both of you, close your eyes. And accept an old man’s apologies.”

            Victor made sure it was Yuuri’s face that he saw just before he closed his eyes, imprinting every tiny detail to his memory; the thick waves of his hair that sat in all directions until it made his fingers long to run through them, the warm, rosy colour of his cheeks that always deepened whenever he complimented him, the soft fullness of his lips that made him hungry for more kisses. As he closed his eyes, he felt the wind rise up again, making the folds of his new robe swish and sway around his long legs.

            Yuuri bowed his head down as the wind made the tiny hairs on his arms stand up, praying that Zeus would do something to make Victor’s curse easier for him to bear. Something he couldn’t do on his own, however much he wished he could.

            He frowned when something began to seep behind his closed eyelids. It hurt a little and made him scrunch his eyes tighter against it. At first it was a light grey, but in a few moments it shifted to white, patterns sparking and swirling behind his lids.

            He opened his eyes and almost fell backwards when the light made him blink hard.

            The light!

            His breath hitched in his chest as he looked around. Yes, yes he wasn’t dreaming – he could see! He saw the different shades of green in each leaf on the trees in the forest, the wind having taken them back to their clearing. He saw the brilliant shade of blue of the sky overhead as the sunlight warmed his face.

            Then he turned towards the man who was still holding his hands and felt tears spring up in his eyes.

            “Vitya!”

            Victor flinched at the astonished squeak in Yuuri’s voice but still didn’t open his eyes. Something was missing, he could feel it. No, he could hear it. Or rather, he couldn’t hear it.

            ‘ _Maybe I’ve finally got used to them. I can’t hear them anymore._ ’

            “Vitya, open your eyes!” Yuuri cried, the biggest smile hurting his cheeks as he let go over Victor’s hands to cup his face.

            Victor frowned. “How…how do you know that I haven’t?”

            “Vitya, look at me!”

            Victor stepped backwards, suddenly afraid. “No! I can’t! What if I - ”

            “Trust me!”

            Tentatively, Victor opened one eye, making sure that he was looking at Yuuri’s chest. He was still wearing the ocean-blue robe that Zeus had given him. So it had been real, he thought with a thumping heart.

            His heartbeat rocketed when Yuuri tucked a hand under his chin and tilted his head up.

            And he saw Yuuri’s chocolate brown eyes.

            “Yuuri!” Victor’s voice came out wet and breathless, amazed at the rich colour of those eyes that had always stared blankly back at him. Then his joy turned to fear again. “Don’t look at me! Run before you turn to - ”

            “Vitya,” Yuuri laughed thickly, tears streaming from his deep, sparkling eyes, “look at your hair!”

            Victor reached up and nearly cried out. Instead of the smooth, scaly snakes that had been his companions for so long, his fingers wove through long, silky hair that flowed past his waist, reflecting the sunlight like strands of silver.

            Yuuri took a lock of Victor’s hair between his finger and thumb, gently curling it around the digit as his other hand cupped Victor’s cheek, his eyes finally seeing that heart-shaped smile that he had imagined in his darkened mind. “You know, I always had a feeling your eyes were blue.” He said softly with a crooked smile.

            “And I always knew yours were brown.” Victor laughed, wrapping his arms around Yuuri’s waist, pulling him into a deep, lingering kiss. Followed by another. Then another. Until they both lost count and held each other as they gasped for breath. “So, what happens now?”

            Yuuri pulled a comical face, humming loudly and twisting his mouth in what was meant to look like a thoughtful expression. “Well, one answer springs to mind.”

            “Oh really?” Victor giggled, pressing his forehead to Yuuri’s, revelling in the warmth that radiated from his embrace and in the deep pools of his eyes. “And what might that be?”

            Yuuri grinned up at Victor, looking at every tiny detail of his beautiful face with awe and adoration.

            “We live happily ever after, of course!”

 

**THE END**

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! And be sure to check out [@madblanco_](https://www.instagram.com/madblanco_/) on Instagram ^_^


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